Sunday, 2 March 2014

Gravity: Don’t Let Go

George Clooney and Sandra Bullock’s anxiety-filled space adventure, ‘Gravity’, is already being touted as a serious Oscar contender, but what of the accompanying app?Like the film of the same name, Gravity taps into an idea not often explored in Hollywood’s frequent journeys into outer space – the feeling of becoming detatched, left to drift in the enormity of the universe as your oxygen is gradually depleted. It’s a terrifying prospect, so thankfully this spin-off app from Warner Bros is a tamer affair.

There is, however, just enough tension in the gameplay to play into your anxieties and keep things exciting. It begins with a series of simple tasks, having to first stabilise yourself using circular motions and resist spinning out of control. Once you’re steadied things quickly get tricker, as floating around in zero-gravity proves to be about as difficult and frustrating as it sounds. There’s a bit of a knack to it, but expect to spend some time flying off in the wrong direction as your intended targets disappear into the distance.The game’s 3D graphics makes it beautiful to ogle at, even if there’s little time for stargazing. As your oxygen runs out on a continuous ticking clock, you have to make snap decisions on whether to plough on with your objectives or head back for oxygen so you can try again. On top of the main game mode there’s a multiplayer option, but disappointingly it was full of bugs at the time of testing.Gravity is a satisfyingly tense movie spin-off with graphics to die for. If only they’d taken the time to expand it and fix the multiplayer bugs.Current version: varies with deviceRequires Android: varies with device